Kingfisher runs the Screwfix brand (Rui Vieira/PA)
The Irish arm of DIY home improvement retailer Screwfix this year recorded pre-tax profits of €1.34m as revenues rose by 12pc to a record €117.66m.
New accounts filed by Screwfix Direct (Ireland) Ltd show the company recorded the profit in the 12 months to the end of January this year after sustaining a pre-tax loss of €2.07m in the prior year.
The firm continued its expansion here this year increasing the number of stores by one to 40.
The company recorded an operating profit of €2.8m. Finance costs of €1.47m reduced the profits to a pre-tax profit of €1.34m.
The principal activity of the company continued to be the sale of trade and DIY home improvement products to both tradespeople and the general public, primarily through the company’s trade counter network and website.
Screwfix is owned by the UK-headquartered Kingfisher and the directors for the Irish unit state that the company had an increase in like-for-like sales of 6.3pc compared with 10pc in the prior year.
“This increase is mainly from growth in sales in existing stores through a combination of higher volumes and higher selling prices,” the directors state.
Eyeing further expansion, they state that the company intends to develop the trade counter network by opening further locations.
It also intends to develop its range further to meet the needs of customers more fully.
Gross margin increased to 29pc from 27pc in the prior year, and the increase was “driven by greater sales participation of higher margin product ranges”.
The directors state that “as the new stores mature the expectation is that sales will continue to increase, and the business will remain in a profitable position”.
They state that consumer confidence is expected to increase in the 2025-2026 financial year.
The company will retain its focus on delivering value to its customers, they say, leveraging the scale of Kingfisher to manage cost price inflation.
Numbers employed by the firm this year increased from 511 to 515 as staff costs rose from €13.38m to €13.64m. Pay to directors increased from €185,000 to €237,000.
The profits take account of non-cash depreciation costs of €3.96m.
Accumulated losses at the end of January totalled €8.65m. Cash funds increased to €905,000.